How does yearly salary not matter? Again, explain to me why you would pay a 3.7 guy that has a K/9 of 5.....21 mil a year? You've yet to explain why it's a "smart deal" other than he's in his prime years......which, again, is dumb.
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Easy answer...thats the market rate.
Shields just got the same money basically and is 6 years older.
You aren't paying for what a pitcher has done, at least I wouldn't. You pay a pitcher based on what you think they will do.
I like Porcello more than most, but I think he got the benefit of the doubt due to age. He's still only 26. I guess the Sox can afford to pay him, but to me he's exactly the type of guy you ride out the cheap years and then let walk.
It doesn't matter what aces will be paid in 2-3 years. What are aces getting paid today? Who is using past contracts? We are talking about contracts within the last year and in some cases within the past 3 months. Is that too far back?
Kershaw
Scherzer
Lester
Greinke
Hamels
Shields (to a lesser degree)
Porcello isn't getting paid ace money but I wouldn't say his carer is trending up. He has been a 2.7 or 2.8 WAR pitcher the last 3 seasons. That's good and pretty valuable. But the money he is going to be making suggests he will be a 3.5-4 WAR pitcher going forward. So the Sox are banking on him improving in his prime years. It's above market value but it's the Red Sox and they can afford it.